Surveys: Phantom Figures

It sometimes seems that Americans live by
surveys. From the degree of relief a customer should find in one pill
as against another to the exact percentage of people who prefer one
political candidate to his rival, a fusillade of figures is daily aimed
at the U.S. Last week Raymond C. Hagel, president and chairman of the
Crowell-Collier Publishing Co., told the Washington Society of
Investment Analysts just how sound some of those figures can be. In a
survey conducted last year, hundreds of New Yorkers were shown a list
of magazines and asked to name those they read...